System and method for providing error handling in an untrusted network environment

ABSTRACT

An example method is provided and may include receiving a DIAMETER-based error over an SWm interface by a first evolved packet data gateway (ePDG) for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect to the first ePDG; determining an Internet Key Exchange version two (IKEv2) error type corresponding to the DIAMETER-based error; and communicating the IKEv2 error type to the UE over an SWu interface. In some cases, the IKEv2 error type can be included in a notify payload or in a vendor ID payload for an IKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message. By distinguishing the IKEv2 error type, the UE can determine whether the error is a temporary or a permanent type and can determine whether to attempt to connect again to the first ePDG after a period of time or attempt to connect to another ePDG, which can help to reduce unnecessary signaling and provide better connectivity and user experience.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates in general to the field of communications and,more particularly, to a system and method for providing error handlingin an untrusted network environment.

BACKGROUND

Networking architectures have grown increasingly complex incommunications environments, particularly mobile wireless environments.Mobile communication networks have grown substantially in subscriberbase as end users become increasingly connected to mobile wirelessenvironments to conduct business, to shop, to interact with friends, tomaintain personal finances, and to perform many other daily functions.As the number of mobile subscribers increases, efficient management ofcommunication resources becomes more critical. In some instances,management of resources depends on service providers efficientlymanaging untrusted network environments. In some situations, when userequipment fails in establishing a call with an evolved packet datagateway (ePDG) for an untrusted network, then the user equipmentrepeatedly tries to connect to the ePDG, which can lead to repeated callrejections and unnecessary signaling. Accordingly, there are significantchallenges in managing untrusted network environments, particularly withregard to error handling when authentication fails for user equipmentattempting to access an evolved packet data gateway (ePDG) in anuntrusted network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To provide a more complete understanding of the present disclosure andfeatures and advantages thereof, reference is made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, whereinlike reference numerals represent like parts, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a communication systemto facilitate providing error handling in an untrusted networkenvironment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2A-2B are simplified schematic diagrams illustrating detailsassociated with example messages that can be used in various potentialembodiments of the communication system;

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram illustrating additional detailsassociated with one potential embodiment of the communication system;

FIG. 4 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating example operationsassociated with configuring an evolved packet data gateway to providefor error handling in accordance with one potential embodiment of thecommunication system;

FIG. 5 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating example operationsassociated with providing error handling in an untrusted networkenvironment in accordance with one potential embodiment of thecommunication system;

FIG. 6 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating example operationsassociated with configuring a user equipment to provide for errorhandling in an untrusted network environment in accordance with onepotential embodiment of the communication system; and

FIG. 7 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating other exampleoperations associated with providing error handling in an untrustednetwork environment in accordance with one potential embodiment of thecommunication system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS Overview

A method is provided in one example embodiment and may include receivinga DIAMETER-based error over an SWm interface by a first evolved packetdata gateway (ePDG) for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect tothe first ePDG; determining an Internet Key Exchange version two (IKEv2)error type corresponding to the DIAMETER-based error; and communicatingthe IKEv2 error type to the UE over an SWu interface between the firstePDG and the UE. In some cases, communicating the IKEv2 error type caninclude communicating the IKEv2 error type in a notify payload for anIKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message communicated to theUE over the SWu interface. In other cases, communicating the IKEv2 errortype can include communicating the IKEv2 error type in a vendor IDpayload for an IKE_AUTH_RESP message communicated to the UE over the SWuinterface. In such cases, the IKE_AUTH_RESP message can include a notifypayload including an AUTHENTICATION_FAILED error type.

In some cases, the DIAMETER-based error can be associated with atemporary type of error, in which case the determined IKEv2 error typecan be associated with one or more actions to be performed by the UEincluding, at least in part, the UE cleaning up its security association(SA) for the first ePDG and attempting to connect to the first ePDGagain after a predetermined time interval. In other cases, theDIAMETER-based error can be associated with a permanent type of error,in which case the determined IKEv2 error type can be associated with oneor more actions to be performed by the UE including, at least in part,the UE cleaning up its SA for the first ePDG and attempting to connectto a second ePDG before attempting to connect to the first ePDG.

Example Embodiments

Turning to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating acommunication system 10 to facilitate providing error handling in anuntrusted network environment according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. This particular configuration may be tied to the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Evolved Packet System (EPS)architecture, also sometimes referred to as the Long-term Evolution(LTE) EPS architecture. Alternatively, the depicted architecture may beapplicable to other environments equally.

The example architecture of FIG. 1 may include multiple end usersoperating user equipment (UE) 12 a-12 d and packet data network (PDN)gateway (PGW) 14, which may have a logical connection to a servinggateway (SGW) 28. Also provided are a home subscriber server (HSS) 18, a3GPP Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) element 24, aserving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) 33, anevolved packet data gateway (ePDG) 20, an ePDG 22 and a wireless radioaccess point (AP) 64. SGW 28 also has a logical connection to an evolvedNode B (eNodeB) 38, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 40 and to SGSN33. Both SGW 28 and PGW 14 can interface with a Policy and ChargingRules Function (PCRF) 36. As used herein in this Specification, theterms ‘user equipment,’ ‘user’ and ‘subscriber’ are interchangeable.

Each of the elements of FIG. 1 may couple to one another through simpleinterfaces (as illustrated) or through any other suitable connection(wired or wireless), which provides a viable pathway for networkcommunications. Additionally, any one or more of these elements may becombined or removed from the architecture based on particularconfiguration needs. For example, communication system 10 may include aconfiguration capable of transmission control protocol/Internet protocol(TCP/IP) communications for the transmission or reception of packets ina network. Communication system 10 may also operate in conjunction witha user datagram protocol/IP (UDP/IP) or any other suitable protocolwhere appropriate and based on particular needs.

In more general terms, 3GPP defines the Evolved Packet System (EPS) asspecified in Technical Specification (TS) 23.401, TS 23.402, TS 29.274,etc. The EPS generally consists of UE access networks and an EvolvedPacket Core (EPC). Access networks may be 3GPP access networks includinglegacy access networks such as GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN),universal mobile telecommunications systems (UMTS) Terrestrial RadioAccess Network (UTRAN), also known as 3G, or LTE access networks such asEvolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), also known as 4G/LTE or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A),or they may be non-3GPP IP access networks such as digital subscriberline (DSL), Cable, WiMAX, code division multiplex access (CDMA) 2000,WiFi, or the Internet.

Non-3GPP IP access networks can be included in communication system 10and can divided into trusted and untrusted segments such as trustednon-3GPP IP access network 60 and untrusted non-3GPP IP access network62, respectively. Note that the term ‘trusted non-3GPP IP accessnetwork’ (e.g., trusted non-3GPP IP access network 60) may beinterchangeably referred to herein in this Specification using the term‘trusted IP access network’. Note further that the term ‘untrustednon-3GPP IP access network’ (e.g., untrusted non-3GPP IP access network62) may be interchangeably referred to herein in this Specificationusing the terms ‘untrusted IP access network’, ‘untrusted accessnetwork’ and ‘untrusted network’. Untrusted non-3GPP IP access network62 may include wireless radio access point 64. Note wireless radioaccess point 64 may be referred to interchangeably in this Specificationas a wireless access point (WAP) or access point (AP). Note further thatthe terms ‘wireless’ and ‘WiFi’ may be used interchangeably herein inthis Specification.

Untrusted non-3GPP IP access network 62 may also provide Internetconnectivity via AP 64 for UE connected thereto. In general, trusted IPaccess networks support mobility, policy and AAA interfaces to the EPC,whereas untrusted IP access networks do not. For trusted IP accessnetwork 60, a viable relationship exists between a service provider andthe EPC. In contrast, access from untrusted non-3GPP IP access network62 is managed via one or more ePDG(s) 20, 22 which may provide forInternet Protocol Security (IPsec) security associations to UE viauntrusted non-3GPP IP access network 62 including wireless radio AP 64.

IPsec can use cryptographic security services to protect communicationsover IP networks. For example, communications over an internet orwireless local access network (WLAN) between UE 12 a-12 c and ePDG 20,PGW 14, etc. IPsec can support network-level peer authentication, dataorigin authentication, data integrity, data confidentiality(encryption), and replay protection. Implementation of IPsec can bebased on Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards.

As shown in FIG. 1, ePDG 20, 22 may each have a logical connection toPGW 14 through a corresponding S2b interface and to 3GPP AAA element 24through a corresponding SWm interface to support mobility and AAAinterfaces to the EPC. The SWm interface may provide an interface forauthenticating and authorizing UE attaching to untrusted non-3GPP IPaccess network 62. In some instances when a PGW may not be present inthe system, ePDG 20, 22 may have a logical connection to PCRF 36 througha DIAMETER-based Gxb interface, however, it should be noted that the Gxbinterface is largely unused when a PGW (e.g., PGW 14) is present. UE 12c-12 d (or any other UE seeking connection to the EPC) may interfacewith untrusted non-3GPP IP access network 62 and ePDG 20, 22 viawireless radio AP 64 over a corresponding SWu interface. In variousembodiments, security for the SWu interface can be achieved using IPSec,Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), or any other secure tunnel. As shown in FIG.1, ePDG 20, 22 may interface with wireless radio AP 64 through the SWuinterface (e.g., via IPSec, SSL or any other secure tunnel) and wirelessradio AP 64 may interface to UE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) throughthe SWu interface.

In general, UE 12 a-12 d can be associated with clients or customerswishing to initiate a flow in communication system 10 via some network.The terms ‘user equipment’, ‘mobile node’, ‘end user’, ‘and ‘subscriber’are inclusive of devices used to initiate a communication, such as acomputer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop or electronicnotebook, a cellular telephone, an i-Phone®, i-Pad®, a Google® Droid®phone, an IP phone, or any other device, component, element, or objectcapable of initiating voice, audio, video, media, or data exchangeswithin communication system 10. UE 12 a-12 d may also be inclusive of asuitable interface to the human user such as a microphone, a display, akeyboard, or other terminal equipment. UE 12 a-12 d may also be anydevice that seeks to initiate a communication on behalf of anotherentity or element such as a program, a database, or any other component,device, element, or object capable of initiating an exchange withincommunication system 10. Data or information, as used herein in thisSpecification, refers to any type of numeric, voice, video, media, orscript data or information, or any type of source or object code, or anyother suitable information in any appropriate format that may becommunicated from one point to another. In certain embodiments, UE 12a-12 d may have a bundled subscription for network access andapplication services (e.g., voice, data), etc. IP addresses can beassigned using dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), StatelessAddress Auto-configuration, default bearer activation, etc., or anysuitable variation thereof.

Among other things, MME 40 may provide tracking area list management,idle mode UE tracking, bearer activation and deactivation, servinggateway and packet data network gateway selection for UEs andauthentication services. As shown in FIG. 1, MME 40 may be incommunication with SGSN 33, eNodeB 38, HSS 18 and SGW 28. In general,eNodeB 38 is responsible for selecting an MME for user equipment,managing radio resources, and making handover decisions for userequipment. HSS 18 may include one or more databases containinguser-related and subscription-related information. HSS 18 may performfunctionalities such as mobility management, call and sessionestablishment support, user authentication and access authorization for3GPP access. SGW 28 is a data plane element that can route and forwarduser data packets, while also acting as a mobility anchor for the userplane during inter-eNodeB handovers and as an anchor for mobilitybetween LTE and other 3GPP technologies. SGW 28 may further be incommunication with PGW 14.

PGW 14 may provide Internet protocol (IP) connectivity access network(IP-CAN) session connectivity for UEs to external packet data networks(PDNs), such as, for example, IP services 50. PGW 14 may also serve aspolicy enforcement points to manage QoS, online/offline flow-basedcharging, data generation, deep-packet inspection and intercept. SGSN 33may provide access for legacy UMTS network devices. For example, UE onthe GERAN can communicate through the SGSN to the SGW or the PGW, whichcan include a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) to support communicationwith legacy systems.

PCRF 36 may be in communication with PGW 14, SGW 28, HSS 18, ePDG 20,22, wireless radio AP 64, IP services 50 and trusted non-3GPP IP accessnetwork 60. PCRF 36 may aggregate information to and from the network,operational systems, and other sources in real-time, supporting thecreation of policy charging and control (PCC) rules and thenautomatically making policy decisions for each subscriber such as, forexample, quality of service (Qos) level decisions and charging ruledecisions. PCRF 36 can be configured to use user-related andsubscription-related information as a basis for the policy and chargingcontrol decisions. In some embodiments, PCRF 36 may determine PCC rulesbased on an application or service described to the PCRF from anapplication function (AF).

3GPP AAA element 24 is a network element responsible for accounting,authorization and authentication functions for UE 12 a-12 d. For AAAconsiderations, 3GPP AAA element 24 may provide a mobile node IP addressand the accounting session identification (Acct-Session-ID) and othermobile node states in appropriate messaging (e.g., viaaccess-Request/access-Response messages). Authentication refers to theprocess where an entity's identity is authenticated, typically byproviding evidence that it holds a specific digital identity such as anidentifier and the corresponding credentials. The authorization functiondetermines whether a particular entity is authorized to perform a givenactivity, typically inherited from authentication when logging on to anapplication or service. Authorization may be determined based on a rangeof restrictions, for example time-of-day restrictions, or physicallocation restrictions, or restrictions against multiple accesses by thesame entity or user. Accounting refers to the tracking of networkresource consumption by users for the purpose of capacity and trendanalysis, cost allocation, billing, etc. In various embodiments,communication system 10 may be provisioned with other AAA servicesand/or AAA servers, which may provide AAA considerations for the system.

In general terms, wireless radio AP 64 represents a radio access pointdevice that can allow UEs to connect to a wired network using WiFi,Bluetooth™, WiMAX or any other appropriate standard. Hence, the broadterm ‘radio access point’ can be inclusive of a WAP, a hotspot, a WiFiarray, a wireless bridge (e.g., between networks sharing same SSID andradio channel), a WLAN or any other suitable access device, which may becapable of providing suitable connectivity to a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c,UE 12 d etc.). In certain cases, wireless radio AP 64 can connect to arouter (via a wired network), which can relay data between UE 12 c andother UEs of the network. In some embodiments, wireless radio AP 64 maybe included in an automobile or other mobile transportation device toprovide suitable connectivity to a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c, etc.).

Also provided in the architecture of FIG. 1 is a series of interfaces,which can offer mobility, policy control, AAA functions and/or chargingactivities (offline and online) for various network elements. Forexample, interfaces can be used to exchange point of attachment,location, and/or access data for one or more end users, for example,users operating UE 12 a-12 d. Resource, accounting, location, accessnetwork information, network address translation (NAT) control, etc. canbe exchanged using a remote authentication dial in user service (RADIUS)protocol or any other suitable protocol where appropriate. Otherprotocols that can be used in communication system 10 can includeDIAMETER-based protocols, a service gateway interface (SGI), a terminalaccess controller access-control system (TACACS), TACACS+, Generic RouteEncapsulation (GRE), etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, a DIAMETER-based interface, Rx, may be maintainedbetween IP services 50 and PCRF 36 for communicating subscriberinformation between IP services 50 and PCRF 36. In various embodiments,IP services can include an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) to provide IPmultimedia services to subscribers. PCRF 36 may provision policycharging and control (PCC) rules for PGW 14 using a DIAMETER-based Gxinterface and PGW 14 may communicate subscriber information to PCRF 36over the Gx interface. Communication system 10 may be configured withadditional DIAMETER-based interfaces to manage policy and controlbetween various elements of the system 10.

For example, DIAMETER-based interfaces Gxa and Gxc may be maintainedbetween the PCRF 36 and trusted IP access network 60 and SGW 28,respectively. Further DIAMETER-based interfaces may include SWx(interfacing AAA element 24 and the HSS 18), STa (interfacing AAAelement 24 and a trusted non-3GPP IP access point (not shown)) and SWa(interfacing AAA element 24 and untrusted non-3GPP AP 64). Note the SWainterface may provide for interfacing with HSS 18 via AAA element 24.Various additional interfaces may include an S6a interface between HSS18 and MME 40; an S6b interface between 3GPP AAA element 24 and PGW 14;an S2a interface between PGW 14 and trusted IP access network 60;corresponding S2b interfaces between PGW 14 and ePDG 20, 22; andcorresponding DIAMETER based SWm interface between ePDG 20, 22 and 3GPPAAA element 24. The S2b interface may support protocols including ProxyMobile IP version 6 (PMIPv6) or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)Tunneling Protocol (GTP). Other signaling interfaces are illustratedbetween various components of FIG. 1, according to 3GPP standards, whichare not discussed in detail for purposes of brevity.

Before detailing further operations and infrastructure of variouselements of FIG. 1, certain contextual information is provided to offeran overview of some problems that may be encountered for error handlingin an untrusted network environment. Such information is offeredearnestly and for teaching purposes only and, therefore, should not beconstrued in a way to limit the broad applications for the presentdisclosure.

In untrusted non-3GPP wireless (e.g., WiFi) access networks, theinterface between a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c or UE 12 d) and ePDG 20, 22is an Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) based SWu interface. IKEv2may be used, among other things, to set-up a security association (SA)in IPSec for UE (e.g., UE 12 c-12 d) connecting to the EPC for a session(e.g., a call) via ePDG 20 or ePDG 22. IKEv2 may also be used in an IKEauthentication (IKE_AUTH) exchange with the UE to provide for UEauthentication using wireless Radio AP 64 and 3GPP AAA element 24 via anExtensible Authentication Protocol Authentication and Key Agreement(EAP-AKA) authentication.

Whenever there is any call rejection (for any reason) from the 3GPP AAAelement/server the UE is typically informed with an‘AUTHENTICATION_FAILED/24’ error type set for the ‘Notify Message Type’in the NOTIFY payload of an IKE authentication response message. Note asreferred to herein in this Specification an IKE authentication responsemessage may be represented as ‘IKE_AUTH_RESP’. Such operation is definedby the Internet Engineering Task Force according to RFC 5996. However,receiving a standard AUTHENTICATION_FAILED/24 error type can make UEbehave in one manner for all possible DIAMETER errors that might occurfor a 3GPP AAA server based rejection.

The DIAMETER errors can typically be categorized in the followingcategories: Protocol Errors (3xxx), Transient Errors (4xxx) andPermanent Errors (5xxx). In some cases, it might be useful for UE todetermine what category of error has occurred. In some error cases itmight be better to not try connecting to a same ePDG from which an errorwas received but rather try other alternatives; attempting to connectwith the same ePDG may result in a call again being rejected by the sameePDG, which can lead to unnecessary signaling. However, for other errorconditions, such as, for example, transient error conditions the UE maybe required to again attempt the call to the same ePDG after a shortinterval of time.

As defined in RFC 5996, Sec. 2.21, only authentication failures such asAUTHENTICATION_FAILED and EAP failure, and malformed messages, such asINVALID_SYNTAX lead to a deletion of the IKE security association (SA)without requiring an explicit INFORMATIONAL exchange carrying a Deletepayload. As further defined in Sec. 2.21 of RFC 5996, other errors mayrequire such an exchange (e.g., an INFORMATIONAL exchange carrying aDelete payload) if policy dictates that it is needed. As defined in RFC5996, Sec. 2.21.2 covering error handling in IKE_AUTH, all errors thatoccur in an IKE_AUTH exchange that cause the authentication to fail forany reason (e.g., invalid shared secret, invalid ID, untrustedcertificate issuer, revoked or expired certificate, etc.) should resultin an AUTHENTICATION_FAILED notification. As further defined in RFC5996, Sec. 3.12, a Vendor identification (ID) payload may be sent aspart of any message. Reception of a familiar Vendor ID payload can allowan implementation to make use of private use numbers (as describedelsewhere in RFC 5996), such as private payloads, private exchanges,private notifications, etc. Unfamiliar Vendor IDs must be ignored.

RFC 5996 suggests that the AUTHENTICATION_FAILED error type does havespecial meaning, which can be used to indicate to UE that the IKE SAneeds to be cleaned up. Further, RFC 5996 suggests that, to provide forbackward compatibility, the Vendor ID payload can be used to provide newextensions to UE, since UE that may not support the new extensions canignore the Vendor ID payload if it is not recognized.

In accordance with one embodiment, communication system 10 can overcomethe aforementioned shortcomings (and others) by providing a solutionthat can include specifying special error types in a payload of anIKE_AUTH_RESP message, which can be used to trigger one or moreappropriate actions or operations by a device (e.g., a given UE) basedon an error type received. In various embodiments, the actions oroperations can include the UE attempting to connect to a same ePDG fromwhich an error was received after a predetermined time interval orattempting to connect with another ePDG before again attempting toconnect to the same ePDG from which the error was received to providefor improved call connectivity rate. In general, the solution providedby communication system 10 utilize the IKEv2 protocol and address thenetwork problem of a given UE repeatedly attempting to connect to a sameePDG from which an error was received and unknowingly loading the ePDGand the 3GPP AAA element with unnecessary signaling.

In various embodiments, the solution provided by communication system 10can be provisioned using a first alternative that may include mappingdifferent DIAMETER-based error codes received by ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22over the SWm interface from 3GPP AAA element 24 to private NOTIFY Errormessage types for Notify payloads that can be communicated by ePDG 20and/or ePDG 22 over the SWu interface to UE 12 c and/or 12 d. In variousembodiments, the solution provided by communication system 10 can beprovisioned using a second alternative that may include mappingdifferent DIAMETER-based error codes received by ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22over the SWm interface from 3GPP AAA element 24 to Vendor ID payloadsthat can be communicated by ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22 over the SWuinterface to UE 12 c and/or 12 d.

For the first alternative involving mapping different DIAMETER-basederror codes to private NOTIFY Error message types, it is assumed thatall UE vendors agree on the mapping and may treat the private NOTIFYError type(s) as an AUTHENTICATION_FAILED error type (e.g., typicallycleaning up of SA). This alternative may be referred to herein in thisSpecification as a ‘Notify payload alternative’. In various embodiments,the private NOTIFY Error type(s) can further be used to triggerdifferent UE behavior depending on different variants for the privateNOTIFY Error type(s). In various embodiments, such different UE behaviorcan include indicating to the UE whether it should retry theauthentication at a later time with the same ePDG from which theauthentication error was received or whether it should retry theauthentication with a different ePDG rather than one from which theauthentication error was received.

For the second alternative involving the mapping differentDIAMETER-based error codes to Vendor ID payloads, it is assumed that theNotify payload in the IKE_AUTH_RESP may be set to AUTHENTICATION_FAILEDfor the NOTIFY error type per standard RFC 5996 operation and the Vendorpayload may be set to an ID indicating to the UE whether it should retrythe authentication with the same ePDG from which the error was receivedat a later time or attempt the authentication with a different ePDG fromwhich the error was received. Using the Vendor ID payload in thesolution provide by communication system 10 may help to maintainbackward compatibility for the solution, as UE which may have beendeployed prior to the solution can ignore the Vendor ID payload. Thisalternative may be referred to herein in this Specification as a ‘VendorID payload alternative’.

Table 1, shown below, illustrates example private SWu IKEv2 NOTIFY Errormessage types that can be used for the Notify payload alternativeprovided by communication system 10 involving mapping differentDIAMETER-based error codes to private NOTIFY Error message types.

TABLE 1 DIAMETER Error/ Result SWu IKEv2 NOTIFY Error Code DIAMETER CodeDescription type 3001 DIAMETER_COMMAND_UNSUPPORTED DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY3002 DIAMETER_UNABLE_TO_DELIVER DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 3003DIAMETER_REALM_NOT_SERVED DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 3004 DIAMETER_TOO_BUSYDIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 3005 DIAMETER_LOOP_DETECTED DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER3006 DIAMETER_REDIRECT_INDICATION DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 3007DIAMETER_APPLICATION_UNSUPPORTED DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 3008DIAMETER_INVALID_HDR_BITS DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 3009DIAMETER_INVALID_AVP_BITS DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 3010DIAMETER_UNKNOWN_PEER DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 4001DIAMETER_AUTHENTICATION_REJECTED DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 4002DIAMETER_OUT_OF_SPACE DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 4003 ELECTION_LOSTDIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 5001 DIAMETER_AVP_UNSUPPORTED DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY5002 DIAMETER_UNKNOWN_SESSION_ID DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 5003DIAMETER_AUTHORIZATION_REJECTED DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5004DIAMETER_INVALID_AVP_VALUE DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5005DIAMETER_MISSING_AVP DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5006DIAMETER_RESOURCES_EXCEEDED DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER 5007DIAMETER_CONTRADICTING_AVPS DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5008DIAMETER_AVP_NOT_ALLOWED DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5009DIAMETER_AVP_OCCURS_TOO_MANY_TIMES DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5010DIAMETER_NO_COMMON_APPLICATION DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5011DIAMETER_UNSUPPORTED_VERSION DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5012DIAMETER_UNABLE_TO_COMPLY DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5013DIAMETER_INVALID_BIT_IN_HEADER DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5014DIAMETER_INVALID_AVP_LENGTH DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5015DIAMETER_INVALID_MESSAGE_LENGTH DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5016DIAMETER_INVALID_AVP_BIT_COMBO DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY 5017DIAMETER_NO_COMMON_SECURITY DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY

Two example NOTIFY Error types are shown in TABLE 1,‘DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY’ and ‘DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER’, either of which canbe sent on the SWu interface with UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d (or any otherUE in untrusted non-3GPP IP access network 62). In various embodiments,one or more operations may be triggered by UE (e.g. UE 12 c and/or UE 12d) receiving of one of the example NOTIFY Error types.

In various embodiments, a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) mayinterpret a NOTIFY Error message of a type DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER totrigger the UE to perform operations including, but not limited to, theUE cleaning up its SA and attempting to connect again to the same ePDGfrom which the error was received after a predetermined time interval,which may be configurable at the UE. In various embodiments, thepredetermined time interval can be configured in a range fromapproximately 1 second to approximately 5 minutes, which can varydepending on operator requirements. In various embodiments, the UEcleaning up its SA can include the UE terminating the IPSec securityassociation (SA) and WLAN session. Such operations that may be performedby the UE upon receiving this type of NOTIFY Error type may help tomanage loading of ePDG 20, 22 and/or 3GPP AAA element 24 for transientand/or temporary errors.

In various embodiments, a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) mayinterpret a NOTIFY Error Message of a type DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY totrigger the UE to perform operations including, but not limited to,cleaning up its SA and attempting to connect to another ePDG differentthan the ePDG from which the error was received based on one or morelocal policies and/or a Domain Name Server (DNS) resolution before againtrying to connect to the same ePDG from which the error was received.Error messages received over the SWm interface between ePDG 20, 22 and3GPP AAA element 24 that may be mapped to a type ‘DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY’may be of a permanent nature, which may cause an increase in callrejection rate for ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22 (whichever ePDG that may havecommunicated the NOTIFY Error type to a given UE). Thus, the operationsthat may be performed by UE upon receiving such an Error type can beused to manage loading between ePDG 20, 22 in communication system 10.

It should be noted that the NOTIFY Error types and corresponding names(e.g., DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER and DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY) shown in TABLE 1are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to limitthe broad scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood thatother NOTIFY Error types and/or names could be configured forcommunication system 10 within the scope of the present disclosure. Itshould be noted that the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)provides a range for private NOTIFY Error types from 8192-16383. Thus,from this range, in various embodiments, a first private error number orcode may be selected to correspond to the DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER NOTIFYError type and a second private error number or code may be selected tocorrespond to the DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY NOTIFY Error type that can beconfigured for communication system 10.

As discussed above, communication system 10 may also provide a solutioninvolving the use of Vendor ID payloads instead of private NOTIFY Errormessage types. For a Vendor ID payload alternative, equipmentmanufacturers, communication service providers (CSPs), and/or vendors ofUE and ePDG devices may configure at least two new vendor IDs, which canbe communicated to UE using a Vendor ID payload that can be includedwith an IKE_AUTH_RESP error message. In various embodiments, a firstVendor ID can be configured as a first error type,‘VENDORID_DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY’, which can be used to triggeroperations by a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) similar to thosedescribed above for the NOTIFY Error type of DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY. In asecond Vendor ID can be configured as a second type,‘VENDORID_DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER’, which can be used to trigger operationsby a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) similar to those describedabove for the NOTIFY Error type of DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER. In variousembodiments, a first Vendor ID error number or code can be selected tocorrespond to the VENDORID_DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER Vendor ID error type anda second Vendor ID error number or code can be selected to correspond tothe VENDORID_DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY Vendor ID error type.

In various embodiments, the Vendor ID payload alternative may includesetting the NOTIFY Error type of a Notify payload to a standardAUTHENTICATION_FAILED Error type, as defined in RFC 5996. The additionof the Vendor ID payload may be used to provide intelligence to a givenUE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) to determine whether or not to againattempt to connect to the concerned ePDG from which the error wasreceived in the immediate future (e.g., as may be determined using aconfigurable time interval, one or more local policies and/or a DNSbased resolution).

Consider one operational example for the Notify payload alternativeinvolving ePDG 20, 22, each of which may be configured with a SWm to SWumapping as shown in TABLE 1, which may map DIAMETER Error/Result Codesto SWu IKEv2 NOTIFY Error types. During operation, say, for example,that UE 12 c may attempt to connect to a first ePDG, say, for example,ePDG 20. During IKE authentication with 3GPP AAA element 24, ePDG 20may, in one instance, receive a DIAMETER-based Error/Result Code ofDIAMETER_UNABLE_TO_DELIVER/3002 over the SWm interface from 3GPP AAAelement 24. Based on the mapping shown in TABLE 1, ePDG 20 may determinethat the Error/Result Code corresponds to a SWu IKEv2 NOTIFY Error typeof DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER, which ePDG 20 may communicate to UE 12 c overthe SWu interface in the Notify payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message.

It is assumed for the present example that UE 12 c is configured tointerpret the NOTIFY Error types shown in TABLE 1 to perform one or moreoperations, as discussed above, corresponding to a NOTIFY Error typethat may be received. Thus, UE 12 c may receive the NOTIFY Error type ofDIAMETER_RETRY_LATER in the Notify payload of the IKE_AUTH_RESP messageand may determine, based on the Error type, to clean-up its SA forcorresponding ePDG 20 and attempt to connect to ePDG again after apredetermined time interval configured for the UE.

Consider in another instance that ePDG 20 may receive a DIAMETER-basedError/Result Code of DIAMETER_INVALID_MESSAGE_LENGTH/5015 over the SWminterface from 3GPP AAA element 24. Based on the mapping shown in TABLE1, ePDG 20 may determine that the Error/Result Code corresponds to a SWuIKEv2 NOTIFY Error type of DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY, which ePDG 20 maycommunicate to UE 12 c over the SWu interface in the Notify payload ofan IKE_AUTH_RESP message. UE 12 c may receive the NOTIFY Error type ofDIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY in the Notify payload of the IKE_AUTH_RESP messageand may determine, based on the Error type, to clean-up its SA forcorresponding ePDG 20 and to attempt to connect to another ePDG, say,for example ePDG 22 before again attempting to connect to ePDG 20. Itshould be understood that the operations described for UE 12 c can beconfigured for UE 12 d or any other UE (e.g., UE 12 a-12 b) incommunication system 10.

Although the above operational example is provided with respect to theNotify payload alternative, it should be understood that the operationsdescribed above (e.g., for ePDG 20, 22, UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d, and 3GPPAAA element 24) can also be performed in a similar manner for the VendorID payload alternative in which Vendor IDs can be configured for aVENDORID_DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY error type and aVENDORID_DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER error type as discussed herein in thisSpecification.

Accordingly, the solution provided by communication system 10 mayprovide for several advantages over current error handling mechanisms,including, but not limited to, enabling efficient signaling over thenetwork to reduce chances of overloading ePDG(s) and/or the 3GPP AAAelement/server that can otherwise be caused by a given UE repeatedlyattempting to connect to a same ePDG in case of permanent failures. Fortemporary failures, the solution provided by communication system 10 mayprovide a given UE with knowledge of transient SWm errors. Based on thisknowledge, the UE can attempt to connect with a same ePDG from which theerror was received after some predetermined short time interval, whichcan lead to improved network management. Further, the solution providedby communication system 10 may not introduce any additional signaling byutilizing the existing IKEv2 protocol. The solution provided bycommunication system 10 may also reduce unnecessary signaling that canbe caused by repeated attempts to connect to an ePDG that can otherwiseoccur for permanent error types due to current error handling mechanismsin current network deployments. Thus, the solution provided bycommunication system 10 may provide for better call connectivity ratesfor devices in comparison to current network deployments.

The solution provided by communication system 10 also addresses backwardcompatibility and provides two approaches/alternatives (e.g., vendor IDpayload usage or NOTIFY error type) which can help CSPs to choosebetween the two alternatives based on agreements with device/equipmentvendors. The solution provided by communication system 10 may also beuseful in a virtual EPC (vEPC) network environment where there may bemany ePDG to connect to, in which case providing the option forattempting to connect to other ePDG(s) for permanent failures mayprovide for improved network management. In various embodiments, thesolution provided by communication system 10 may also be useful in caseswhere selection of an ePDG may be statically configured for a given UE.In such embodiments, the UE can be configured to wait a predeterminedtime interval before attempting to connect again to the ePDG based onwhat kind of failure may have occurred on the SWm interface.

Turning to FIGS. 2A-2B, FIGS. 2A-2B are simplified schematic diagrams200A-200B illustrating details associated with example IKE_AUTH_RESPmessages that can be used in various potential embodiments of thecommunication system. FIG. 2A illustrates an example IKE_AUTH_RESPmessage 210 that may be associated with the Notify payload alternativeof the solution provided by communication system 10 in variousembodiments. FIG. 2B illustrates an example IKE_AUTH_RESP message 220that may be associated with the Vendor ID payload alternative of thesolution provided by communication system 10 in various embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 2A, IKE_AUTH_RESP message 210 may include an EAPpayload 212 and a Notify payload 214. In various embodiments, Notifypayload 214 may be set to an NOTIFY Error type of DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRYor DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER based on a DIAMETER-based error that may bereceived by ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22, depending on use case, from 3GPP AAAelement 24 via the corresponding SWm interface for a given UE (e.g., UE12 c-12 d) attempting to connect to a corresponding ePDG 20, 22. Invarious embodiments, the NOTIFY Error type can be set based on a mappingof DIAMETER Error/Result code(s) to private IKEv2 NOTIFY Error type(s),which can be configured for ePDG 20, 22.

As shown in FIG. 2B, IKE_AUTH_RESP message 220 may include an EAPpayload 222, a Notify payload 224 and a Vendor ID Payload 226. For theVendor ID alternative of the solution provided by communication system10, Notify payload 224 of IKE_AUTH_RESP message 220 may be set to astandard NOTIFY error type of AUTHENTICATION_FAILED. In variousembodiments, Vendor ID payload 224 may be set to a Vendor ID Error typeof VENDORID_DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY or VENDORID_DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER aDIAMETER-based error that may be received by ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22,depending on use case, from 3GPP AAA element 24 via the correspondingSWm interface for a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c-12 d) attempting to connectto a corresponding ePDG 20, 22. In various embodiments, the Vendor IDError type can be set based on a mapping of DIAMETER Error/Resultcode(s) to IKEv2 Vendor ID Error type(s), which can be configured forePDG 20, 22.

Turning to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is simplified block diagrams illustratingadditional details associated with one potential embodiment ofcommunication system 10. FIG. 3 includes UE 12 c, UE 12 d, ePDG 20, ePDG22, 3GPP AAA element 24 and wireless radio AP 64 of communication system10. Each of these elements may include a respective processor 32 a-32 fand a respective memory element 34 a-34 f. As shown in FIG. 3, ePDG 20may further include an authentication error management module 54 a andePDG 22 may further include an authentication error management module.

In various embodiments, each ePDG 20, 22 may be provisioned and/orconfigured with one or more mappings, each which can be used to mapDIAMETER-based Error/Result codes that may be received via the SWminterface with 3GPP AAA element 24 to IKEv2 Error Types. In variousembodiments, the IKEv2 Error types can be mapped to NOTIFY Error typesor Vendor ID error types, depending on implementation. As noted, privateIKEv2 NOTIFY Error types can be included in a Notify payload of anIKE_AUTH_RESP message that can be communicated over the SWu interfacefrom a given ePDG to a given UE attempting to connect to the ePDG andVendor ID Error types can be included in a Vendor ID payload of anIKE_AUTH_RESP messages that can be communicated over the SWu interfacefrom a given ePDG to a given UE attempting to connect to the ePDG. Invarious embodiments, the mapping(s) can be provisioned in eachrespective memory element 34 c-34 d for each respective ePDG 20, 22and/or can be provisioned in each respective authentication errormanagement module 54 a-54 b for each respective ePDG 20, 22. In variousembodiments, the mappings can also be provisioned in one or moredatabases, combination thereof or the like that may be provisioned ineach ePDG 20, 22, which can overlap or be included with each respectivememory element 34 c-34 d and/or each respective authentication errormanagement module 54 a-54 b.

Further shown in FIG. 3, each UE 12 c-12 d may further be provisionedand/or configured with a respective error handling module 52 a-52 b. Invarious embodiments, the respective error handling modules 52 a-52 b foreach respective UE 12 c-12 d may be provisioned and/or configured,depending on implementation, with functionality to parse private NOTIFYError types from the Notify payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message and/orVendor ID Error types from the Vendor ID payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESPmessage. In various embodiments, each UE 12 c-12 d, via each respectiveerror handling module 52 a-52 b, may be provisioned and/or configured,depending on implementation, with functionality to perform one or moreactions and/or operations based on an Error type parsed from acorresponding payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message.

In various embodiments, UE actions and/or operations can include, butnot be limited to, a given UE cleaning up its SA and attempting to retrya connection with a same ePDG from which an error was received after apredetermined period of time (e.g., for temporary type errors such as,for example DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER or VENDORID_(—) DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER).In various embodiments, the predetermined period of time can beconfigured for each UE 12 c-12 d via each corresponding error handlingmodule 52 a-52 b, memory element 34 a-34 b, database, combinationthereof or the like. In various embodiments, UE actions and/oroperations can include, but not be limited to, a given UE cleaning upits SA and attempting to connect to another ePDG different than the ePDGfrom which an error was received before attempting again to connect tothe same ePDG from which the error was received (e.g., for permanenttype errors, such as, for example, DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY orVENDORID_DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY). In various embodiments, the behavior(e.g., intelligence), which may dictate to the UE which ePDG to try andconnect to can be provisioned via one or more policies and/or DNSresponse(s). In various embodiments, the one or more policies and/or DNSresponse(s) can be statically or dynamically provisioned for and/orcommunicated to each UE 12 c-12 d via each respective memory element 34a-34 b, each respective error management module 52 a-52 b, each of arespective database that can be included in each respective UE 12 c-12d, combinations thereof and/or the like.

Hence, appropriate software and/or hardware is being provisioned in UE12 c, UE 12 d, ePDG 20, 22, 3GPP AAA element 24 and wireless radio AP 64in order to facilitate providing error handling in an untrusted IPaccess network of communication system 10. Note that in certainexamples, certain databases can be consolidated with memory elements (orvice versa), or the storage can overlap/exist in any other suitablemanner.

In one example implementation, ePDG 20, 22, 3GPP AAA element 24 andwireless radio AP 64 are network elements, which are meant to encompassnetwork appliances, servers, routers, switches, gateways, bridges,loadbalancers, firewalls, processors, modules, or any other suitabledevice, component, element, or object operable to exchange informationthat facilitates or otherwise helps to provide for error handling (e.g.,for a network as illustrated in FIG. 1). In other embodiments, theseoperations and/or features may be provided external to these elementsand/or UE 12 c-12 d, or included in some other network device to achievethis intended functionality. Alternatively, one or more of theseelements and/or UE 12 c-12 d can include software (or reciprocatingsoftware) that can coordinate in order to achieve the operations and/orfeatures, as outlined herein. In still other embodiments, one or more ofthese devices and/or UE 12 c-12 d may include any suitable algorithms,hardware, software, components, modules, interfaces, or objects thatfacilitate the operations thereof. This may be inclusive of appropriatealgorithms and communication protocols that allow for the effectiveexchange of data or information. In some embodiments, DIAMETER routingagents (DRAs) may interface between network elements in order to provideDIAMETER routing procedures for DIAMETER-based messages.

In regards to the internal structure associated with communicationsystem 10, each of UE 12 c, UE 12 d, ePDG 20, 22, 3GPP AAA element 24and wireless radio AP 64 can include memory elements for storinginformation to be used in achieving the error handling activities, asoutlined herein. Additionally, each of these devices may include aprocessor that can execute software or an algorithm to perform the errorhandling activities as discussed in this Specification. These devicesmay further keep information in any suitable memory element [e.g.,random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read only memory (EPROM), application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), etc.], software, hardware, or in any other suitablecomponent, device, element, or object where appropriate and based onparticular needs. Any of the memory items discussed herein should beconstrued as being encompassed within the broad term ‘memory element’.

In various embodiments, information being tracked or sent to UE 12 c, UE12 d, ePDG 20, 22, 3GPP AAA element 24 and/or wireless radio AP 64 couldbe provided in any database, register, control list, cache, or storagestructure: all of which can be referenced at any suitable timeframe. Anysuch storage options may be included within the broad term ‘memoryelement’ as used herein. Similarly, any of the potential processingelements, modules, and machines described herein should be construed asbeing encompassed within the broad term ‘processor’. Each of the networkelements and/or user equipment (e.g., mobile nodes) can also includesuitable interfaces for receiving, transmitting, and/or otherwisecommunicating data or information in a network environment.

Note that in certain example implementations, the error handlingtechniques as outlined herein may be implemented by logic encoded in oneor more tangible media, which may be inclusive of non-transitory media(e.g., embedded logic provided in an ASIC, in digital signal processing(DSP) instructions, software [potentially inclusive of object code andsource code] to be executed by a processor, or other similar machine,etc.). In some of these instances, memory elements [as shown in FIG. 3]can store data or information used for the operations described herein.This includes the memory elements being able to store software, logic,code, or processor instructions that are executed to carry out theactivities described herein.

A processor can execute any type of instructions associated with thedata or information to achieve the operations detailed herein. In oneexample, the processors [as shown in FIG. 3] could transform an elementor an article (e.g., data) from one state or thing to another state orthing. In another example, the activities outlined herein may beimplemented with fixed logic or programmable logic (e.g.,software/computer instructions executed by a processor) and the elementsidentified herein could be some type of a programmable processor,programmable digital logic (e.g., a field programmable gate array(FPGA), a DSP processor, an EPROM, an electrically erasable PROM(EEPROM)) or an ASIC that includes digital logic, software, code,electronic instructions, or any suitable combination thereof.

Turning to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a simplified flow diagram illustratingexample operations associated with configuring a given ePDG to providefor error handling in accordance with one potential embodiment ofcommunication system 10. In various embodiments, these operations may becarried out using ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22.

At 410 a mapping may be configured for ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22 thatincludes each of one or more DIAMETER-based Error/Result code(s) mappedto each of one or more corresponding IKEv2 Error types. In variousembodiments, depending on implementation, these error types can byprivate IKEv2 NOTIFY Error types or can be IKEv2 Vendor ID Error Types,which can be specified by equipment manufacturers, vendors, CSPs,combinations thereof or the like. At 420, ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22 can beconfigured with functionality that can be used 1) to determine acorresponding IKEv2 Error type based on a received DIAMETER-basedError/Result Code received over an SWm interface and 2) to include thedetermined IKEv2 Error type in one of a Notify payload or a Vendor IDpayload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message that can be communicated to a givenUE over an SWu interface with the UE.

Turning to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a simplified flow diagram 500 illustratingexample operations associated with error handling operations that can beperformed by a particular ePDG in an untrusted network in one exampleembodiment of communication system 10. In one example embodiment, theseoperations may be carried out using ePDG 20 and/or ePDG 22 and 3GPP AAAelement 24.

At any given time, a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) may seek toinitiate connectivity with a given ePDG (e.g., ePDG 20, 22) to initiatea session/connection with the EPC through untrusted non-3GPP IP accessnetwork 62 via wireless radio AP 64. Consider for the present examplethat a particular UE, say, for example, UE 12 c, seeks to connect with aparticular ePDG, say, for example, ePDG 20, through an EAPauthentication exchange via ePDG 20 and 3GPP AAA element 24. Considerfurther for the present example that an error occurs for theauthentication. It is assumed for purposes of the present example thatthe operations described below may be carried out using ePDG 20 and UE12 c; however, it should be understood that these operations can beapplied in a similar manner using ePDG 22 and/or ePDG 22 and UE 12 d.

Processing may start at 510 when ePDG 20 may receive a DIAMETER-basederror over the SWm interface for UE 12 c attempting to connect to theePDG. At 520, ePDG 20 may determine an IKEv2 Error type corresponding tothe received DIAMETER-based error. It is assumed for purposes of thepresent example that each ePDG 20, 22 may be configured with a mappingof DIAMETER-based error(s) to IKEv2 Error types. In various embodiments,the IKEv2 Error types can be NOTIFY Error type(s), which can be includedin a Notify payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message, or can be Vendor IDError type(s), which can be included in a Vendor ID payload of anIKE_AUTH_RESP message.

At 530, ePDG 20 may communicate the IKEv2 Error type to the UE over theSWu interface between the ePDG and the UE in either a Notify payload ora Vendor ID payload, depending on implementation, of an IKE_AUTH_RESPmessage.

Turning to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a simplified flow diagram 600 illustratingexample operations associated with configuring a given UE to provide forerror handling in an untrusted network environment. In variousembodiments, these operations may be carried out using UE 12 c and/or UE12 d; however, it should be understood that these operations can beapplied in a similar manner to any UE (e.g., UE 12 a-12 b).

At 610, a given UE may be configured to parse one or more IKEv2 Errortype(s), which can be communicated to the UE in a Notify payload or aVendor ID payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message. At 620, the UE can beconfigured to perform one or more actions and/or operations based onIKEv2 Error type(s) that can be parsed from the Notify payload or aVendor ID payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message. In various embodiments,UE actions and/or operations can include, but not be limited to, a givenUE cleaning up its SA and attempting to retry a connection with a sameePDG from which an error was received after a predetermined period oftime (e.g., for temporary type errors). In various embodiments, thepredetermined period of time can also be configured for UE. In variousembodiments, UE actions and/or operations can include, but not belimited to, a given UE cleaning up its SA and attempting to connect toanother ePDG different than the ePDG from which an error was receivedbefore attempting again to connect to the same ePDG from which the errorwas received (e.g., for permanent type errors).

Turning to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a simplified flow diagram 700 illustratingexample operations associated with error handling operations that can beperformed by a particular UE in an untrusted network in one exampleembodiment of communication system 10. In one example embodiment, theseoperations may be carried out using UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d and ePDG 20and/or ePDG 22. Note for the present example, it is assumed that eachePDG 20, 22 have been configured with a mapping of DIAMETER-basedError/Result Code(s) to IKEv2 Error type(s). In various embodiments,depending on implementation, the IKEv2 Error type(s) can be privateIKEv2 NOTIFY Error type(s), which can be included in a Notify payload ofan IKE_AUTH_RESP message, or can be IKEv2 Vendor ID Error type(s), whichcan be included in a Vendor ID payload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message. Itis further assumed for the present example that each UE 12 c-UE 12 d maybe configured, depending on implementation, to parse the configuredIKEv2 Error types from either the Notify payload or the Vendor IDpayload of an IKE_AUTH_RESP message. It should be understood that theexample operations illustrated in FIG. 7 can be applied to both theNotify payload alternative and the Vendor ID payload alternative of thesolution provided by communication system 10.

At any given time, a given UE (e.g., UE 12 c and/or UE 12 d) may seek toinitiate connectivity with a given ePDG (e.g., ePDG 20, 22) to initiatea session/connection with the EPC through untrusted non-3GPP IP accessnetwork 62 via wireless radio AP 64. Consider for the present examplethat a particular UE, say, for example, UE 12 d, seeks to connect with aparticular ePDG, say, for example, ePDG 20, through an EAPauthentication exchange via ePDG 20 and 3GPP AAA element 24. Considerfurther for the present example that an error occurs for theauthentication. It is assumed for purposes of the present example thatthe operations described below may be carried out using ePDG 20 and UE12 d; however, it should be understood that these operations can beapplied in a similar manner using ePDG 22 and/or ePDG 20 and UE 12 c.

Thus, processing may start at 710 where UE 12 d may seek a connectionwith a first ePDG (e.g., ePDG 20). At 712, UE 12 d may receive anIKE_AUTH_RESP message from first ePDG 20 indicating an authenticationerror for the attempted connection. At 714, UE 12 d may, depending onimplementation, parse an IKEv2 Error type from either a Notify payloador a Vendor ID payload of the IKE_AUTH_RESP message.

At 720, UE 12 d may determine if the IKEv2 Error type is a permanenttype of error (e.g., DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY orVENDORID_DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY). If so, UE 12 d may clean up itssecurity association (SA) at 722. At 724, UE 12 d may attempt aconnection with another ePDG (e.g., ePDG 22) before retrying aconnection with first ePDG 20. At 740, UE 12 d may determine if theprevious operations were successful, for example, whether UE 12 d wasable to connect to ePDG 22 or first ePDG 20 as a fallback. If so, theoperations may end. If the operations were not a success, UE 12 d maycontinue to process IKEv2 Error type(s) that may be received from agiven ePDG (e.g., return to 712 and re-process the received error(s)).

If, at 720, UE 12 d determines that the IKEv2 Error type is not apermanent type of error, then at 730 UE 12 d may determine if the IKEv2Error type is a temporary type of error (e.g., DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER orVENDORID_DIAMETER_RETRY_LATER). If so, UE 12 d may clean up its securityassociation (SA) at 732. At 734, UE 12 d may wait a predetermined periodof time before attempting to connect again with first ePDG 20. At 740,UE 12 d may determine if the previous operations were successful, forexample, whether UE 12 d was able to connect to first ePDG 20. If so,the operations may end. If the operations were not a success, UE 12 dmay continue to process IKEv2 Error type(s) that may be received from agiven ePDG (e.g., return to 712 and re-process the received error(s)).

Note that with the examples provided above, as well as numerous otherexamples provided herein, interaction may be described in terms of two,three, or four network elements. However, this has been done forpurposes of clarity and example only. In certain cases, it may be easierto describe one or more of the functionalities of a given set of flowsby only referencing a limited number of network elements. It should beappreciated that communication system 10 (and its teachings) are readilyscalable and can accommodate a large number of components, as well asmore complicated/sophisticated arrangements and configurations.Accordingly, the examples provided should not limit the scope or inhibitthe broad teachings of communication system 10 as potentially applied toa myriad of other architectures.

It is also important to note that the steps in the appended diagramsillustrate only some of the possible signaling scenarios and patternsthat may be executed by, or within, communication system 10. Some ofthese steps may be deleted or removed where appropriate, or these stepsmay be modified or changed considerably without departing from the scopeof teachings provided herein. In addition, a number of these operationshave been described as being executed concurrently with, or in parallelto, one or more additional operations. However, the timing of theseoperations may be altered considerably. The preceding operational flowshave been offered for purposes of example and discussion. Substantialflexibility is provided by communication system 10 in that any suitablearrangements, chronologies, configurations, and timing mechanisms may beprovided without departing from the teachings provided herein.

Numerous other changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, andmodifications may be ascertained to one skilled in the art and it isintended that the present disclosure encompass all such changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications as fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims. In order to assist the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and, additionally, anyreaders of any patent issued on this application in interpreting theclaims appended hereto, Applicant wishes to note that the Applicant: (a)does not intend any of the appended claims to invoke paragraph six (6)of 35 U.S.C. section 112 as it exists on the date of the filing hereofunless the words “means for” or “step for” are specifically used in theparticular claims; and (b) does not intend, by any statement in thespecification, to limit this disclosure in any way that is not otherwisereflected in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a DIAMETER-basederror over an SWm interface by a first evolved packet data gateway(ePDG) for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect to the firstePDG; determining an Internet Key Exchange version two (IKEv2) errortype corresponding to the DIAMETER-based error; and communicating theIKEv2 error type to the UE over an SWu interface between the first ePDGand the UE.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating theIKEv2 error type includes communicating the IKEv2 error type in a notifypayload for an IKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) messagecommunicated to the UE over the SWu interface.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the IKEv2 error type in the notify payload is one of: aDIAMETER_RETRY_LATER error type associated with a first private notifyerror number or code to be used when the error received over the SWminterface is a transient error, which indicates to the UE to retryconnecting to the first ePDG after a predetermined time interval; and aDIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY error type associated with a second private notifyerror number or code to be used when the error received over the SWminterface is a permanent error, which indicates to the UE to attempt toconnect to a second ePDG before retrying to connect to the first ePDG.4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating the IKEv2 error typeincludes communicating the IKEv2 error type in a vendor identification(ID) payload for an IKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) messagecommunicated to the UE over the SWu interface.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein the IKEv2 error type is one of: a VENDORID_DIAMETER_RETRY_LATERerror type associated with a first vendor ID error number or code to beused when the error received over the SWm interface is a transienterror, which indicates to the UE to retry connecting to the first ePDGafter a predetermined time interval; and aVENDORID_DIAMETER_DO_NOT_RETRY error type associated with a secondvendor ID error number or code to be used when the error received overthe SWm interface is a permanent error, which indicates to the UE toattempt to connect to a second ePDG before retrying to connect to thefirst ePDG.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the IKE_AUTH_RESP messageincludes a notify payload including an AUTHENTICATION_FAILED error type.7. The method of claim 1, wherein the DIAMETER-based error is associatedwith a temporary type of error and wherein the IKEv2 error type isassociated with one or more actions to be performed by the UE including,at least in part, the UE cleaning up a security association (SA) for thefirst ePDG and the UE attempting to connect to the first ePDG againafter a predetermined time interval.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe DIAMETER-based error is associated with permanent type of error andwherein the IKEv2 error type is associated with one or more actions tobe performed by the UE including, at least in part, the UE cleaning up asecurity association (SA) for the first ePDG and the UE attempting toconnect to a second ePDG before attempting to connect to the first ePDG.9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: configuring for the firstePDG each of one or more IKEv2 error types to be included in a notifypayload for an IKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message foreach of one or more corresponding DIAMETER-based errors that can bereceived over the SWm interface from an Authentication, Authorizationand Accounting (AAA) element.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: configuring each of one or more IKEv2 error types to beincluded in a vendor identification (ID) payload for an IKEauthentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message for each of one or morecorresponding DIAMETER-based errors that can be received over the SWminterface from an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA)element.
 11. One or more non-transitory tangible media encoding logicthat includes instructions for execution that when executed by aprocessor, is operable to perform operations comprising: receiving aDIAMETER-based error over an SWm interface by a first evolved packetdata gateway (ePDG) for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect tothe first ePDG; determining an Internet Key Exchange version two (IKEv2)error type corresponding to the DIAMETER-based error; and communicatingthe IKEv2 error type to the UE over an SWu interface between the firstePDG and the UE.
 12. The media of claim 11, wherein the communicatingthe IKEv2 error type includes communicating the IKEv2 error type in anotify payload for an IKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP)message communicated to the UE over the SWu interface.
 13. The media ofclaim 11, wherein the communicating the IKEv2 error type includescommunicating the IKEv2 error type in a vendor identification (ID)payload for an IKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) messagecommunicated to the UE over the SWu interface.
 14. The media of claim13, wherein the IKE_AUTH_RESP message includes a notify payloadincluding an AUTHENTICATION_FAILED error type.
 15. The media of claim11, the operations further comprising: configuring for the first ePDGeach of one or more IKEv2 error types to be included in a notify payloadfor an IKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message for each ofone or more corresponding DIAMETER-based errors that can be receivedover the SWm interface from an Authentication, Authorization andAccounting (AAA) element.
 16. The media of claim 11, the operationsfurther comprising: configuring each of one or more IKEv2 error types tobe included in a vendor identification (ID) payload for an IKEauthentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message for each of one or morecorresponding DIAMETER-based errors that can be received over the SWminterface from an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA)element.
 17. An apparatus, comprising: a memory element for storingdata; and a processor that executes instructions associated with thedata, wherein the processor and the memory element cooperate such thatthe apparatus is configured for: receiving a DIAMETER-based error overan SWm interface by a first evolved packet data gateway (ePDG) for auser equipment (UE) attempting to connect to the first ePDG; determiningan Internet Key Exchange version two (IKEv2) error type corresponding tothe DIAMETER-based error; and communicating the IKEv2 error type to theUE over an SWu interface between the first ePDG and the UE.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17, wherein the communicating the IKEv2 error typeincludes communicating the IKEv2 error type in a notify payload for anIKE authentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message communicated to theUE over the SWu interface.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein thecommunicating the IKEv2 error type includes communicating the IKEv2error type in a vendor identification (ID) payload for an IKEauthentication response (IKE_AUTH_RESP) message communicated to the UEover the SWu interface.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein theIKE_AUTH_RESP message includes a notify payload including anAUTHENTICATION_FAILED error type.